


Dream inside another Dream

by Quarkie



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, M/M, Multi, fantasy powers, more characters may be added as story progresses, physical violence, some stuff might sound trippy, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:26:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10024979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quarkie/pseuds/Quarkie
Summary: “Don’t cry that it’s over. Smile because it happened.”Yuya beings a journey in a mysterious land with bizarre creatures and myths. Along the way, he meets Yuri, Yugo and Yuto; three boys with the exact same face as he has. As the four continue on their adventure together, the more they encounter the more confused they are as the fabric of reality slowly seems to crumble around them.





	1. Rewinding Pandora's Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. Hope you enjoy reading it. I'm still struggling with writing in English, so please let me know if there's anything confusing. Other thoughts and criticisms are always welcome. It might give me new ideas or help me improve the quality of the writing.
> 
> This fanfiction was something that had came to mind while watching episode 140, thus it is loosely based off the development since all of them had fused together to awaken Zarc. I always liked scenarios of the four Yuya-counterparts getting along.  
> Please note that this chapter was more like a prologue.

It was all but a dream.

The moments Yuri helped trimming his hair. The sounds of laughter he had shared with Yugo. The familiar touch of Yuto’s fingers interlaced with his.

Nothing but a dream. Dream inside another dream.

_Integration summon! Come forth!_

Like a will-o-wisp, it all faded away and drowned by the piercing pain in his head.

_Come forth! Supreme King Dragon Zarc!_

Yuya’s hands clasped around his ears, gasping out raw yelps of agony. Yuto did not rush to Yuya’s side this time. His eyes were gleaming with confusion and rage directed at Yuri, struggling to contain himself.

“It seems…” Yuri inspected the nails on his fingers that were curling in and out, as though he didn’t want to look at the others. The malicious and sadistic smile was back. This was the Yuri that they had known. “This is the end of our journey then, where we should part.”

“AS IF!” a voice roared, and Yugo had stood up from his earlier shock. His face was darkened with rage just like Yuto. Drops of blood had leaked from between his fisted fingers, in contrast to how white his knuckles were. “You’re not going anywhere until you’ve told me what’s happened to Rin.”

“Or Ruri.” Yuto added as he walked beside Yugo. “you’re not going anywhere until you answer our questions.”

“You seem to be under the impression that I know more than you lot.” Yuri said, though he didn’t look like he was amused as he was trying to sound.

An unearthly scream pierced through the atmosphere, and all three turned to where Yuya was kneeling over the ground. Each scream was getting louder than the other.

“NO NO NO NO NO!” The red-haired boy wailed, his eyes hysterical and wide. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

The pain numbed all his senses so much, that he didn’t realize he had been screaming the entire time. The last that he saw was the three identical faces, and then all Yuya saw was black.


	2. Embryo Customization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first one that Yuya meets on his journey is Yuri. 
> 
> For the majority of the settings, most of them are based of steampunk, though I would like it to diverge a little from the usual vintage/gothic Victorian style. Most of the technology in this chapter's story are stuff like steam engines, telescopes, etc.

**Pick out your child the same manner as you would choose clothes from a shop.**

**Make him tall, strong, having curls and deep, blue eyes. Don’t forget to make him smart.**

**All that is possible if the Gardener says so, and he will brew it from his cauldron.**

...

...

At the foot of the mountains, lies the great city of Emporia. Surrounding the city was tall walls protecting a much taller tower. However, it didn’t look foreboding in the least, as from the top to bottom, even through the cracks, were crawling with vines and various other plants. Under the light from the sun, bright coloured flowers adorned on top of the curtains of green. If one were to stand atop from one of the mountains, they would see tall trees, one competing over another to canopy for the buildings made of steel or timbre. Even the very front iron gate also had green leaves hanging over the top, from the tall plants.

From the far distance, was a rocky desert. Compared to the lush plant life and colours in Emporia, the surrounding place looked barely anything more than a barren wasteland. A puff of smoke had emerged from the horizon about noon, and gradually was getting larger. The guards standing in the front gate, squinted their eyes. One of them had taken out of his trench coat pocket a small telescope. Through the lenses a dark shape began to emerge from the cloud of dust. It was the shape of a bus. Shrinking the telescope back into pocket size, the gate guard gestured towards the others, and they all faced towards the direction of the vehicle approaching.

After stopping completely, the door swung open with the hinges squeaking loudly, and the tourists that had decided to visit the plant paradise stepped out. Among a few families, some very eager plant scientists, there was also a teenage boy. He looked rather too short and young to be travelling for his own age. Other than his white coat and the clothes on his back, he didn’t even have a travel bag with him. The boy was wearing goggles, tinted with the rusted copper colour. However, the gate guards paid no big attention to him as he walked past through the gate with the others. Emporia was not a place that had strict rules for entering, after all.

Through the lenses of the goggles, he gazed at the huge leafy canopy covering almost all of the city. He looked towards the tower in the centre of the city. The height of the tower could be measured relatively when they came, but up close even the top couldn’t be seen from where he was standing. Slowly, after adjusting to the darkened, cool shade in the street, Yuya took off his goggles to rest on top of his head.

It was the early afternoon, he could see that the street he was currently facing was still in its opening hours. He felt relieved to know that the market seemed to have an abundance of food, unlike the town that he was last at. From the corner, he saw a child climbing a few steps to reach the fruit on some trees, then tossing it gently to the basket behind him. He had just filled the basket before walking back a few meters away where there was a shop for selling vegetables and fruit. In the corner there were several shops with closed glass doors. From here, one could see that there were many cauldrons and jars stacked on shelves.  Unlike all other shops in the street, the windows were closed, and it was the only one that seemed to have a rather darkened room. There was a jingle as the door opened, and  out came a group of kids.

The kids were chatting, each of them carrying a jar, containing a plant submerged in some liquid. One other interesting thing that Yuya noted was how they were wearing a deep-blue long coat, with a crest on their left sleeve. Judging by how the crest was the same as the guards at the gate, the boy wondered whether they were also in the guard force.

Perhaps he had been staring for a tad too long, because among them a red-haired boy turned. His eyes narrowed seeing Yuya as he nudged one of his friends. The laughter among them stopped and mild confusion swept across Yuya’s face as the group had approached him towards him. He noticed the slight hostile look in their eyes, but did not comment as the red-haired one lowered his eyes to look into his.

“Yuri, you’ve changed the colour of your hair?” He sneered, eyes not looking the friendliest in the least to give a compliment.  “Doesn’t a raw embryo like you have other chores to do? Aren’t you going to get into trouble if we tell the Gardener hears about this?”

Yuya merely tilted his head a little more, “Pardon? You sure you haven’t got the wrong person?”

They all laughed. A few passer-by’s had turned their heads. From the corner of the eyes, the child that had been picking fruit earlier for their mother had stared for a moment. Just for a moment, he saw the conflicted and unhappy look the child had, as though he was pitying Yuya’s situation before his mother had quickly grasped onto his shoulder, dragging him back towards the shop.

“Did you… just hear him? Heard what he said” The red-haired one coughed and said, after the rolls of laughter had died. A few other shad followed and were laughing along with him. He stood up at full height, dwarfing Yuya by a whole head. “I don’t know what is getting you to act dumb, but that’s not going to work, you bastard. Not after what you’ve said and done.”

They each took a stance, as though they were preparing to attack. Yuya’s shoulders tensed for a moment, waiting for them to move first.

“I still remember what you did last time, you … you raw embryo.” He spat out the last words before lunging forward. His hands grabbed onto air, just like the others, as Yuya’s body ducked low to the ground, and with rolled out of the circle. His movements were fluid, as though he was a circus or acrobatics performer as he quickly landed back to a standing position. He tried again. “You sure you’re not misunderstanding something? I only just arrived to this city.”

“They’re not going to listen.” A voice said. Before Yuya could even look for who it was, there was a flash of a shadow. Two of the kids had fallen over. And over the sound of their yelps, someone had grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the alleyway that Yuya hadn’t noticed until now.

“After them!” someone had yelled behind them.

As they wound their way through the people and past the shops, Yuya tried to get a glimpse of who it was that had grabbed his hand. However his head was covered by the dark hood. He was earing a coat of a similar style with the same emblem on the sleeve, but the attire was of a violet colour. It was hard to see anything else other than this person just as tall as him. They took a sudden sharp turn towards an alleyway. With less people the air was quieter but the sound of the footsteps behind them was growing louder, and the alleyways were getting narrower.

“Here.” He spoke again, and Yuya let out a whoosh of air from his lungs as he was pulled into a narrow space, finding both of them wedged between two steam pipes. A hand clasped his right shoulder around his upper torso, and Yuya felt his back pressing against the stranger’s chest. Yuya almost yelped, except just at that moment there were yells of looking around all corners. He didn’t dare to move or make a sound while the one behind him wrapped his other hand around him, dragging the both of them further into the shadows.

The blood in his ears almost drowned out the sounds of their pursuers until finally he felt the other’s hold on him loosen after what seemed like several minutes.

“They’re gone now. Sorry about earlier.” The evidently masculine voice said to Yuya’s ear. There was a gentle nudge to tell Yuya to get out first into the clearing in the alleyway. At this moment Yuya had turned, just as the other hand pulled down their hood. He was a boy, and when both looked at each other in the eye, there was a moment of dumbfounded silence followed by Yuya’s surprised gasp.

The other boy had nicely combed-back violet hair, and a few strands on his face. Despite his eyebrows were a little more defined, there was no doubt. His face was a mirror copy of Yuya’s.

“Oh… I didn’t know I had a doppelganger.” The other boy mused, almost as though he was talking to himself. The initial surprise on his face quickly was gone and Yuya found himself continue to stare into the violet irises just for a second longer.

 _This was Yuri._ Something told him.

“You’re Yuri, aren’t you?” Yuya asked, though he seemed somehow more than certain.

“Ah, I see that those barbaric group have already mistaken you for me.” Yuri answered. There was the spark of an urge to question why they looked so similar in appearance, but one look told Yuri enough that the other didn’t even know either. “You don’t seem to be around here, so I’m sure a lot would be confusing for a traveller like you. All I can say is that they were looking for me, but you had experiencing the brunt of their troublemaking. How about I’ll find you a place to stay for the night, for the trouble?”

Yuya laughed a little, slightly glad that he was able to meet someone friendly enough to offer help at all. “No, it really wasn’t anything, since you helped me in the nick of time. But someplace to stay would be nice.” At the tip of his tongue, he had wanted to ask why they were after this boy at all. But Yuri had already started walking, leaving Yuya no choice but to follow quickly.

“By the way, you know of my name, what is yours?”

“Ah, I’m Yuya. Just Yuya.”

…

…

Climbing up several steps that ran alongside a canal, the two had wounded their way through more alleys. Though there were steam engines and machines in use, the conditions of the corners of the street were kept very clean.

Yuya noted that there were no such thing as rubbish cans by the side of the street as he walked past what seemed to be another shop with those cauldrons and jars on shelves. There wasn’t a written sign, but just a single egg symbol on the glass door. There weren’t any of those kids from before, but rather couples. From outside the shop, one couldn’t hear what they were saying but Yuya could see that they looked excited about something.

“This way,” Yuri’s voice reminded him again, and they walked further down the avenue before taking another turn. They had reached the road with a dead end, where there was an array of terrace houses. Like the walls previously, vines were crawling on top of the walls and rooftops, hiding away a lot of the red bricks. Yuri stopped at the house at the furthest end. Unlike the others, it didn’t look like it had been occupied for a while, with a small layer of dust coating the door and front veranda.

“I haven’t lived here for months, you see. But you should be able to use the things in here, even if they are a little old.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m already glad that I don’t have to spend money on an inn.” Yuya laughed as they both entered. This boy, Yuri thought to himself as he closed the door, hadn’t even considered the fact that it could be at trap.

Yuri motioned with an elegant hand, to tell Yuya to sit down and wait. The red-haired boy removed the cover off one of the chairs, then glanced over at the actual owner of the house.

Soft thumps where soon heard, as Yuri had placed about three potted plants on the floor, causing Yuya to sit up to peer at them. They didn’t look as green as the others, and instead, their flower buds were still twisted together in their pre-bloomed state. Even the leaves had looked a little dry. Seeing the lost look that Yuya had, Yuri’s lips could only curl into a mischievous smile.

“Just stay back and watch.” He said, while making some sort of motion with his hands. Then, there was a small snaps from the pots, a few dead pieces of the branching stems fell, and the plants were growing taller. They turned towards the ground, as their petals opened but a fraction. The leaves that looked greyish had a richer green colour as the stems below extended. Yuya had to move as they lengthened to all the way to the door. He twisted his body on the chair unable to tear his eyes from the strange sight of plants moving so quick. The leaves continued to sweep off the surfaces all over the house to collect the dust.

There was the scrapping of a chair, and Yuya turned back to the table in front, with Yuri sitting across him.

“Are all the plant life here like this?” Yuya asked, trying not to be bothered by the small movement of green things behind Yuri. They didn’t seem to breaking, but his eyes was going to take a while to adjust to it. 

“No, these are specific plants that I had brought down from the mountain that bend to _my_ will.” Yuri said, hinting his pride of his work. “They don’t require much maintenance for long periods of time, and they consume both other plants and small animals on their own. They’ve been in this house for several years now. They don’t move much under the sun but they’re a lot more active in cool shade, or at night. ”

Yuya nodded, then recalling all that he had seen earlier. “They seem useful.” He complimented, though Yuri could see that the boy wasn’t really keen to have one for himself. “So how come there aren’t many on the way here?”

“As I said, you’d have to venture to the mountains to get. At the same time, a lot of the people are happy enough with what the Gardener has.” Yuya seemed to have opened his mouth to ask another question, but Yuri could read it through his eyes. This boy was far too easy to predict, it seems. “By “Gardener”, it’s the current person who is managing the city, living in the tall tower you would have seen on your way here. He came about ten or so years ago, just as another traveller like you.”

To Yuya, it seemed rather odd that a mere traveller could become a governor in the city. He didn’t realise that his thoughts were voiced out loud. “Touché. You see, the Gardner has various magical plants that the people of Emporia love and is said to have helped many. He was said to help the flowers flourish even more, and he had allowed the ability to let parents choose their children.”

Choose their own children?

“What do you mean by that?” Yuya asked thinking back to what the red-haired kid had called Yuri, but Yuri had stood up at that moment to pick up the plants. They had now reverted back to their previous states, though there was some more dust hanging on their leaves. On the floor there were still a few stray snapped twigs, but the living room did look cleaner than before. He turned back briefly towards the red-haired boy. “I’m going to water the plants in the plant house at the back. Please wait a while, alright?”

There was a small pause before Yuya gave a nod, and watched Yuri move towards out the backdoor. Silence had settled over the room again. This time Yuya had taken the chance to inspect the room a little more. From where he was seated, he could see that there was a kitchen close to the back door. Like the living room, it seemed to contain just the bare necessities. There wasn’t even a couch, just the dinning table with two sets of chairs. The wall looked rather bare, save for the corner with a large book case. From how there were a few edges chipped, he wondered whether it was second-handed.

His thoughts were broken when there was another click from the door. Yuya had a little glimpse of the backyard. Yuri glanced over at the clock on the side of the dinning table.

“Oh, it’s about time for my afternoon drills.” He gave Yuya an apologetic look, which the naïve boy didn’t seem to have notice was an act. “I will need to go now, but I’ll have dinner with you tonight.”

“It won’t be much trouble? You sound rather busy.”

“Not as much in the evenings for this week. Besides, it wouldn’t be courteous of me when there are a few others things I need to show you about upstairs.”

The way he had said it sounded like there were dangerous things that Yuya was not meant to touch, but the he was glad at least that there was someone he could eat with and have  chat. “Alright. Sure. Meanwhile, I’ll just walk around the city for a bit. I’ll just come back here before sunset?”

The two boys left the house after coming to an agreement. After locking the door, Yuri gave one last wave before walking a different way at the intersection.

…

…

One thing that was definitely pleasant about walking through the city was that most of the walk involved being shielded from the bright sun. Yet the canopy of leaves and trees still allowed enough sunlight through to give a soothing warmth in the air.

Yuya hadn’t wounded his way back to the gate. Over in the corner, he seemed to have found his way to a market square. Most of the shops were still open. Just like similar to what he had seen at the gates, there was an abundance of plants being sold. Traditional herbal medicine, flowers for decoration, vines for external house designs, even by the corner there were a few thin and pale children holding a basketful of flower wreaths.

They looked up when they saw the boy walk up to them, a half-hopeful look when he squatted down, asking for them to show their flower wreaths.

“How much is it for one?” Yuya asked pointing at one with red and yellow flowers. That one had particularly taken his eye when he squatted down. The girl closest held up a hand, showing three fingers. Three silver coins, was what she meant, her younger explained.

Nodding, he then pointed that he also wanted one with violet flowers. The two children hurriedly held out a clean paper, to wrap them around. While watching, Yuya could briefly see that their nails were short and weren’t cut very neatly. The dirt from the ground was on their hands, and yet the wreaths that they had made didn’t seem to have any of the blemishes.

With the wreaths that he wanted wrapped up, a small idea popped into Yuya’s head as he dug into his pants pocket for coins. He held out his left hand. At the palm was three coins, shining under the light. The younger brother was about to correct him, but Yuya suddenly retracted his arm. Raising it high in the sky, he flicked his wrist for a moment, before lowering it again.

This time he opened his hand, and there were now six silver coins. Both younger children’s eyes widened like dinner plates as they looked up at him, then back to his palm. Yuya held his hand a little closer, encouraging them to take it. When they did, he did a small bow, as though he was finishing a magic trick for his two young audiences.

“That’s so cool. Are you a magician?” the younger brother asked, while his elder sister nodded along.

Yuya shook his head. “No, not yet though. I will one day. These flower crowns look very well-made. Do you come here everyday?”

They both shook their heads. “It’s just my elder sister. I can go to school.” The girl lowered her head a little while the younger brother quickly rubbed her arm, as though for some sort of comfort.

“Why can’t she go? Is it because…?” He didn’t want to mention it if it was a sensitive topic, but the boy answered anyway.

“I heard that it’s because our mother didn’t take any medicine before she was born.”

Seeing the girl’s shoulders tense, the traveller decided that it would be best to let the conversation drop there. Patting her lightly on her shoulder, Yuya gave a reassuring smile, then diverting their attention to him happy with the flowers that they had. Tucking the wrapped flower crowns under his left arm, he continued exploring the rest of the market after giving them a wave.

A few blocks down, he had came across another of those shops. Glass windows, cauldrons on display, smoke rising like a snake out of the steam pipes, the jars on bottles. Upon closer inspection, Yuya realized that each of the jars had labels with minute writing, and each contained plants of different types, pickled in coloured water. Curiosity finally getting the better of him, he pushed the door open.

The door clicked and the bell rang. Shutting it, he looked over at the shelves further back. The room in the shop seemed a little dark, with all of the dark shelves and drawers. There were jars earlier in the front, but towards the back, a strong aroma of dried plants entered his nostrils. Yet, the boy didn’t feel his eyes watering, as there seemed to be another soothing perfume in the air. A wave of hot air surged forward when the cauldron closest to the door had white smoke erupting out. There was a small hissing sound, and footsteps could be heard.

From the door behind the counter, a middle-aged woman had walked out and past the counter to the front window of the shop. She squinted a little at Yuya as she adjusted the valves in front of the stove where the cauldron was placed at.

“And how can I help you, sir?” She said, “I’m certain I’m not expecting anyone from the Gardener to come by today. You don’t look like a parent expecting a child…”

Yuya froze. “N-no, ma’am! I’m um… just touring Emporia today… ” he said awkwardly, hoping that would explain everything. Fortunately, she nodded with a small amused look. “Oh, I see. Sorry, it’s just that only few people come here, looking for specific items.”

“The people from the Gardener and um… parents?” Yuya repeated what he had heard half a minute earlier. What on earth were the plants used for?

“Yes, yes.” She nodded heading over behind the counter again, beckoning Yuya to come over. With a ring of the doorbell, a woman came in carrying an empty basket on one shoulder. One look and Yuya could tell that it wasn’t that she had a very big lunch, rather that she was expecting a child soon. The woman gave the shopkeeper a small smile. “I’ve finished the batch that you had adjusted for me. Would you mind getting me more?”

“I see, and did you check?” The shopkeeper woman opened a few chests after plucking a few jars off their shelves. The woman gave a nod. “I was so worried about my child a few weeks ago. My husband was horrified that he might have just an average intelligence. But when we checked with the Gardener today, it seemed that there wasn’t too much of a worry.”

“That sounds good. When he joins the military or a good academy, do bring him here sometime.” The shopkeeper said, taking the few of the dried herbs to measure on the scale. At this time, Yuya had been leaning against the wall listening intently. The woman who had just came in had seen him, though she didn’t seem to be too bothered with another one hearing their conversation.

“But yes, I’d like to add another if possible?” the customer asked with a hopeful look. “I was thinking of maybe making this one also taller when he grows up. Taller than his father, at least.“

“That’s not very uncommon,” the shopkeeper laughed. Which parent wouldn’t want their children to grow strong and healthy. “I’ll add some of this in some smaller doses to your usual batch of medicine. We can increase it gradually over the next few weeks. Check with the Gardener as usual, and ask whether your little one will be expecting to have good growth spurt in his teenage years. ”

The customer gave a few words of thanks. The mix of herbs, and drained pickled plants was wrapped into six packs in white paper, then tied together with strings. After a word of goodbye and that they would come back, they left with the shopkeeper waving briefly.

A moment of silence followed, where Yuya was still processing what he had heard, then looked over as the shopkeeper placed the jars back in their usual place.

“So this is a medicine shop, ma’am?”

“Yes, it’s specifically for pregnant mothers, or parents. When you’re expecting a child, you can go to the tower you see over there.” Yuya turned towards the direction that the woman was pointing. It was the same tower that Yuri had mentioned where the Gardener lived. “He’s able to tell you what sort of child you will have. What they might look like, what physical traits and skills they have. Whatever he predicts has always been correct about these children. But that’s not all he’s able to do. He’s able to brew medicine to help the unborn, just like that mother earlier. Well, she’ll be a mother soon.”

“She comes here regularly for that herbal medicine?”

The shopkeeper answered an affirmative. That woman was already a mother for about 7 months already. Having been told that her child was going to be rather average, and perhaps even rather frail in physical health, she had immediately came to this very shop. Since then she had been taking regular medicine, in hopes of making her son having intelligence and grow healthier.

“She’s told me that she’s having hopes that he’ll get into a good school or job, just like many others who have taken the medicine.” The shopkeeper finished with an air of pride about her profession of work and her clients.

“But then…” Yuya wondered, “What if the kid doesn’t want to do what to do what his parents wanted? What if he had been given skills in maths but he wanted to write music instead?”

“Nonsense,” the shopkeeper laughed heartily, not at Yuya but just that he seemed nothing more than a naïve child. “What child doesn’t want to do what their parents want?”

…

…

Yuri had returned back to his old home, his left hand full with a brown paper bag. The room was lit, from the yellow flame of the candle in the lamp, yet no one could be seen. He was about to call for Yuya, until the red-haired boy had shown his face from the back yard.

“Sorry… I should have asked if I could look in the back.” Yuya asked as he closed the back door behind him. “I was curious about your plants.”

“Oh, they didn’t hurt you?”

Yuri’s eyes gleamed over Yuya from top to bottom. Seeing the extra long look, Yuya’s hands fidgeted a little behind his back, before he walked up to the other, taking the bundle of paper bags. There was a rustling sound, and he could feel the lumps of fruits and vegetables. Of course, in Emporia there wouldn’t be any issues with buying cheap vegetables. He didn’t really ask much while watching Yuri take them out piece by piece as each seemed appetizing enough. Or perhaps he was really hungry from the trip to here.

“That’s certainly interesting, since my plants have a fickle preference for who approaches them.” Yuri said, eyes shifting slightly back to Yuya again. “Perhaps it’s because we have the same face that they didn’t hurt you.”

“Wait, so do those plants have eyes?” Yuya asked, sitting down with Yuri as they had both sat down. Behind him, the stove had been turned on, to slow cook the food.

Yuri answered no, he didn’t think they would, but he had mused the thought on the way home about their faces. They looked far too much like carbon copies to be just mere twins separated from birth.

“And then it occurred to me, perhaps there is more than just the face that is the same. After all, if you can easily change an unborn child, how hard would it be for the Gardener to make another copy of myself?” Yuri mused.

But the other had shook his head. “No, that can’t be right. I’m very sure that I haven’t been here before, until today. And I have parents, who aren’t from here. Besides, if I remembered correctly, you said that the Gardener only came about a decade ago?”

“Yes. Are you older than that?” Yuri asked, though it seems that he already had his answer.

“I’m fourteen.”

“How delightful, looks like we’re the same age.” There was the similar mischievous glint in his eyes for a moment. “Which reminds me, Yuya, you didn’t find yourself in trouble by that group of brats, did you?”

“No, I haven’t. Although… I’ve been wanting to ask that.” Yuya asking the question that he hadn’t had a chance to earlier in the afternoon. “Why are they so aggressive and hostile to you? Well, they were to me, but they thought I was you.”

Yuri shrugged in a bored manner. “There’s been some that aren’t keen to be living in the same quarters with children who haven’t taken the Gardener’s medicine, I suppose.” Clearly he wasn’t as bothered about the treatment by a few kids that were taller than he was. “Your guess could be as good as mine. I don’t make myself try to understand a group of buffoons. It appears to me even though they’ve had the taste of Gardener’s medicine, they don’t seem to grow much brain cells.”

Yuya had the slight suspicion that the other reason would be the way Yuri wouldn’t hold back on provoking words, but he didn’t mention out loud as the guest in the house. “Do you think the medicine really helps?”

“Well… the Gardener’s visions of the children are true. And there are children born with the skills and physical features that he has mentioned his medicine recipes. It doesn’t make a pennyworth of difference to me though, since I am what they call a “raw embryo”.”

Like a darting arrow, a thought came to Yuya, making him realize that it was more than just Yuri, but many other kids who could be facing the same kind of treatment.“Wait, so those who don’t have their mothers eating this medicine, would mean that they are looked down upon?”

Yuri didn’t answer as he had gotten up, but his unfaltering grin was more than enough of an affirmative answer. “Worry not, Yuya. This is isn’t something that you need to worry as a traveller.”

“But… aren’t you tired of them making fun of you? Or mistreating you?” Yuya said. He hadn’t been here for more than half a day. But just by walking through the streets, but he knew well enough already that beneath all the pretence of a colourful and vibrant city, there was a clear division of respect and treatment depending on whether your family could afford Gardener’s medicine from one of those shops.

“Of course, it does bore me. “Yuri admitted,” But at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem to me that they’re any better.” Yuri laughs out loud. “I’m not being arrogant, but I don’t think the skills gained by medicine will ever win against raw, natural talent. Or the occasional hard-working person.“

Yuri motioned for Yuya to wait for a moment while he was finishing up the preparation of dinner. Within minutes, the red-haired traveller found his mouth watering when Yuri had placed the dishes out in front of him. He hadn’t noticed when, but Yuri had sliced a few marinated beef in addition to the soup and the vegetables.

The first half of the meal was only eating. Yuri himself ate at a slower more dignified manner. But his eyes were only on the bread and soup in front of him; it was more than enough to imply that he wanted to just eat instead of small talk. Slowly, the satisfaction of a filling meal had  begun to make Yuya’s movements more sluggish. By the time the sky outside had completely darkened and twilight was over, Yuya leaned back against the chair after a sigh.

“Thanks for the meal again. It was really good.” Yuya said. He suddenly remembered the wrapped paper in the corner of the table. He leaned forward to bring it closer. Yuri at this moment had already finished, and turned his attention to what his guest was doing.

“I had almost forgotten about this earlier.” Yuya began unwrapping the paper. “I had seen a few children selling flower crowns. I know that boys don’t like them, but I thought you could hang it in your front door. They looked rather nice, so…”

His voice had trailed off, when the final layer of paper was pulled aside. Within the white surface of the paper, the laid two rings of flowers. Instead of the same bright colours of the flowers, the edges were curled in a wilted brown. The leaves didn’t look as green as under the sunlight in the afternoon, but rather a few edges looked a little white. In the span of mere hours, the flower crown had became much more crinkled and withered.

“Ah, looks like you were tricked.” Yuri picked one up, a few loose violet petals falling onto the table. “The leaves are not the natural ones you would see in your usual forest. These can look a little more colourful under the sunlight, even though they are on the verge of dying from lack of water nutrition.”

Yuya blinked, nodding in a disappointed manner. Yuri didn’t travel much, but he wondered how the heck did this boy sitting opposite him ever managed to survive. He gave one other look at the half-withered wreaths before picking them up.

“Thank you, I do appreciate it,” Yuri said, getting up from his chair. He motioned for Yuya to follow him out towards the back. “I think I can feed these to my pets.”

He wasn’t referring to any animals, Yuya knew the minute he had opened the door. Out in the backyard, with many pots aligned around the back fence. Yuya hadn’t noticed when he was sitting here under the twilight, however from this angle, one could see the moon rising from the peak of the mountains. The leaves suddenly seemed to be growing larger. Nearby, a plant with the rosebud like a squid’s beak rose higher as it reached towards the door. Perhaps it was the low lighting in the evening, or it was because so many of the plants had gotten so much livelier, Yuya’s curiosity was drained out of him and his hands reached to grip on Yuri’s shoulder.

Yuri could only chuckle silently as he felt the slight trembling in the fingers on his arm. Unexpectedly he was getting greatly entertained by watching the reaction from his guest. “It’s fine. I’ve told you they move according to my will. So they won’t hurt you.” He held out one of the wreaths, and black petals quickly curled around one of the wreaths. Yuya bit his lip nervously as there was the crunching sound in the air, and a few petals fell onto the ground, only to be quickly preyed upon by vines. The other flower wreath that was in Yuri’s other hand was gently tossed into the air, landing on the farther side. Rustling was heard as blooming petals had rose up and their stems then dove down.

“How long have you had these for?”

“These?” Yuri said while stroking the leaf of one of the nearby ones. “Probably for several years now. I have something I want to for a while now.”

“Does this have to do with the Gardener? Using these against Gardener?” the words had escaped from Yuya, and suddenly the teenager brought his hands to clasp over his mouth. He didn’t know who was putting those words in his mouth, as though he wasn’t himself for a moment. “I um....”

Yuri turned to him, his expression unreadable by Yuya’s suddenly perceptive remark. For the flicker of a second, there was a light confusion painted on his features before it was masked behind the amused look again.

“If you are asking me that, perhaps you know the answer already.” He said. Yuri tried peering to see if there was something more in his eyes. “Let’s just say I’d rather keep it as an element of surprise, hm?”

Or rather, it wasn’t really Yuya’s business, the red-haired boy supposed. He was just a visitor to Emporia. Though some part of him was tugging at him to want to question Yuri further. It seemed to be stronger than just the mere curiosity he has in any new place, and Yuya wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

 Giving one last look at the plants in the backyard, Yuri gestured back to the room. It was as though the rather perceptive question didn’t even happen. “Let’s go in now, shall we? I’ll show you the bath, and where you can sleep tonight.”

…

…

About an hour later, Yuya was now sitting against the bed, in the only bedroom in the house. Yuri had explained that he had been living in the quarters specifically for those in the military force and the house would be empty for months. It explained the dust in the old house. After bidding him goodnight, Yuri had walked Yuya to the bedroom before the front door was opened and locked.

Now that the excitement from the night was over, when was only silence accompanying him, thoughts and reflections come back him wave after wave. He thought back to the afternoon, the conversation with the woman. The memories rolled back to the two kids.

One went to school, because they had been given the talent from the Gardener’s magical potion. Though he could not see the little girl’s face, Yuya could not forget the sag of her shoulders. The little boy’s words about his sister… did her mother choose not to go to the Gardener intentionally? She shouldn’t have been like that.

Given medicine or not, she should have been smiling, he told himself while leaning back against the pillow. She would have looked much better if she was smiling.

The next moment that he opened his eyes, the moon had shifted its position, and was high up in the sky. Goosebumps had covered on his left arm, from being left out of the warmth of the blanket. Sitting up in the bed, and rubbing his eyes, he walked over towards the window.

Realizing something off, he pressed his face against the glass, before hissing about how freezing it is.

_Where did Yuri’s plants go?_

…

…

Being in the middle of a desert, Emporia would not escape the bitter cold in the evenings. Like any other night, the stars were out like sparkling salt sprinkled on a darkened table cloth. For once, Yuri had chosen that moment to look up as he walked towards the tower. It looked particularly pretty tonight, even if a large portion of the sky was hidden by the shadow of the leaves.

High above him, there was rustling than leaves on this windless night. A man huddling by a fire in the corner of an alley looked up, before turning back to Yuri who was walking alone in the street. Yuri’s eyes were too fixated on his destination, that he didn’t catch the confused and half-scared look the man gave him. 

He passed around the corner, and approached the front entrance of the foreboding tower. From top to bottom, it was constructed using marble, and under the moonlight there was a soft glow that looked inviting. There was no light from the slits that were windows, the doors opened soundlessly almost daring him to enter.

_Good things happen to those who are patient._

How many times he had envisioned himself carrying out his plan, walking along the same path. And now, his plants have grown strong enough now. The silent invitation only seemed even better to Yuri.

He loved it when it seemed the other had made a challenge for him. With a wave of his hand, something crawled in the darkness behind him as he walked forward. He entered through the entrance. In the hall, this was the first time he had such a large group assembled in the centre.

The red-haired man with his little gang of friends were here again. Under the light, their firearms and knives were glaring.

“I feel flattered by the welcoming party.” Yuri laughed, “But I am in a hurry, and I haven’t seen the Gardener for a very, very long time.”

“There’s no reason for you to see him, because you’re going to drop dead, right here.” A girl said, pointing up her rifle. It was even longer than her arm. Yuri had heard about a girl having a mother who had taken medicine for a “strong girl”, perhaps this was the one?

Whoever they were, Yuri didn’t seem to be fazed. “Please, please, is that how you speak to those older than you? Just because your mother’s had taken the Gardener’s medicine for you, how does that make you better? Do you really think you can defeat me?”

The second that there was the click of the trigger, Yuri knew that they had taken the bait. As quick as lighting, vines and needles shot out from the slots of the windows. Over the yelps of surprise and the quick snaps of the carnivorous plants crawling into the hall, Yuri’s voice could hardly be heard.

“I forgot to say that I didn’t come here alone, didn’t I?”

…

…

With the darkness of the night swallowing him, Yuya was able to jump from rooftop to rooftop keeping himself well-hidden. Though he had done the city no wrong, he wasn’t sure how suspicious he looked to the guards, if they see him at this time of the night heading towards the tower. He made one final leap before his body swung on a tall branch and landing perfectly unharmed on the ground. Dead plants were littered on the ground, and the door was wide opened. Dashing in immediately, Yuya almost tripped at the sight. There were the people he had met earlier today, who were taller but also younger. They didn’t look the least intimidating now with their limbs sprawled and half-crushed beneath large splinters of dark-green bark.

Yuri had already been here. He looked to the side of the staircase. It was already blocked by a door and crushed rubble. The only other one was the other spiral staircase on the left. He broke off into a run without even a second thought.

Step after step, the only way that Yuya could know that there was progress was through the slits of the windows. The moon was following him, but everything was getting lower and lower. The tower seemed exceedingly tall from outside, Would Gardener be at the very top?

Yuya was getting rather bored of simply running and seeing the endless flight of the stairs.

Suddenly, there was rumbling sound below him, and the vibration almost set him crashing into the wall on the side. There was a slip of his footing, and it was then that he realized that the steps had all formed formed into a flat, steep surface. So steep that he almost tumbled backwards.

Perhaps the thought of getting bored was a little too early…

Up ahead, there was sound of rolling stones. From up ahead, there were black spheres rolling down towards him. Yuya’s eyes widened, smelling the faint scent of burning powder as they were approaching. Explosives in a city full of plants wasn’t something he was expecting.

Taking a jump, his hand grabbed onto the window and pushed his body out through the window. In a flash, his other arm swung upwards and a long rope was extended out from his arm. The blade at the end of the rope was thrown towards a wedge near a window a few feet up and Yuya felt the tug of the rope around his wrist. With much practice, his foot pushed off the vertical surface of the outside wall.

An explosion resounded through the walls, and smoke and a wave of hot air rushed him forward. With the momentum given, Yuya used that to pull himself up a floor higher. He hoisted himself to the window, looking down into the far ground below. He had travelled a fair way up now. “Fireworks would have looked nicer,” Yuya commented, seeing the few remaining sparks from the explosion falling towards the ground. He then continued on running.

Down below in the very lowest floor. A few stray sparks fell upon the littered leaves and dead wood. The small sparks died out among the dead timber, but soon a small fire erupted from the surface. With rapidly increasing hunger, it began to consume each of the twigs, one after another

…

…

Yuri had finally arrived at the top of the staircase. It was here that he discarded his black cape and hood. He would have to admit that the traps that the Gardener had set for him were not all easy. But that would mean all the better when he had won. No one was behind him, but he knew very well that his plants were continuing to follow him.

Here he was, at the end of one of the only two staircases. And in front of him was the door engraved with words and pictures of plants. He hadn’t seen this often. Only once when all of the townspeople had came to see the Gardener. He hasn’t seen him for years now, and his hands had to clench to stop himself shaking in anticipation too much.

Just beyond the door, would be the ultimate challenge that Emporia had to offer to him.

He pushed with two hands, but a light push was all it took for the doors to open with a creek. It was still the high time of the night, but bright light leaked out from the door. Yuri walked into the light just as the door had closed.

There were no windows on the side of this room, just one from high above. There were plants crawling all over the walls, around a circle of monuments surrounding it. Even the ancient-looking throne-like chair and tables were connected like roots towards plants that were twisting their way towards the ceiling. Yuri glanced up for a moment, seeing blooming flowers hanging from up high. There was bright orbs of light, brighter than any night lamp or firefly.

“It’s a marvellous thing, isn’t it, Yuri?” A hoarse voice said. Yuri lowered his eyes, landing on a cloaked figure that had emerged from behind a tall tree root. It was a middle-aged man, adorned with dark black and gold clothing. He looked like a scholar, except instead of a scroll he was holding onto a trimmed twig. Very gently, he had placed the twig down on the ground and its ends were soon embedded with the bark of the tree root.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” Yuri asked as the two circled around each other. They kept their eyes trained on the other, as though waiting for something to strike.

“Indeed, I hadn’t expect you to have gotten here this early.” The other sighed, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. “It’s been quite a while since we crossed eyes. This is only the second time.”

“Was it? I wasn’t aware that you remembered.” Yuri’s laughter echoed across the walls. There was a small hiss and cracking sounds. Vines of a much darkened colour were crawling through the slits of the bricks. Yuri’s eyes darkened as he saw his beloved plants curling around and attempting to choke on the Gardener’s own. “So then… I take it you would know why I am here, right?”

At this time, half of the room was now full of the dark-coloured plants. They were twisting and blooming around Yuri and extending towards the Gardener. Yet they weren’t the only ones though.

The brightly coloured flowers, and the light-green plants belonging to the room were moving just as much. These plants may not have been able to move with such speed and precision on their own, but Yuri found the source of their power as he saw Gardener whispering low incomprehensible words.

“Being able to bewitch plants is not an ability easy to have. It’s one of the few that I am not able to gift to these unborn children.,” he said, as both man and boy’s steps stopped circling around one another. His left hand shrivelled into his sleeve and out extended vines with pink liquid dripping from their ends. Just by the colour one could tell they were poisonous vines, that could end up with fatal consequences if Yuri was to come in physical contact with them.

“I know what you are like Yuri… we’re both the same, and yet we’re both treated so differently. I, as a god who bestows gifts to everyone’s child. Whilst you… how many times has you had to – “

“Deal with your followers? Being mistreated by those who had the “privilege” of been given these “skills”? You thought I had come for revenge for _this_? Ha. Haha, Ahahahahahahaha.” Yuri clutched to his stomach for a moment. The Gardener chose this moment to lift his arm, and the poison vines shot towards him.

“OH, that was close,” Yuri’s head swivelled to the side as it passed close to his face. From his arm, there was the silver glare of metal and the poisonous vines broke off. Their snipped off ends were clean and more of the pink poison had leaked as they dropped to the ground. “They are quite fast…” Yuri commented, idly twirling the pair of scissors in his hand.

The Gardener’s eyes gleamed as he began to take slow steps forwrad. “You are arrogant, just like before. You do have talent, but I will show you now… that it is only those who continuously to grow and gain more will win. You who only hold onto your talent alone is not enough to survive here in Emporia.”

The Gardener’s vines began to grow before the boy had a chance to speak, Yuri’s own plants tried to smother them. But the second his flowers had swallowed them, they were burst open as the Gardener’s own regenerated. Each time they were cut or torn, they grew thicker and longer. The more that Yuri’s scissors had slashed away the poison vines, the faster they moved.

All the while, the Gardener continued to wave his arm, whipping the poisonous vines in all directions. Yuri’s smiling face wasn’t faltering, but by every second, it was draining more energy from him having to control his plants, as well as evading from the vines. Each step he had taken back the Gardner would advance.

“You see. This is where your talents would take you. It wasn’t your fault. Perhaps if you had been born a few years earlier… I would have seen your natural gift and I would have given your mother the best advice, “ the man said as he approached the boy. Behind him was a trail of the poison liquid. Yuri felt his back hit the plants, and wall. From both sides, the plants were being pushed against him to trap. His arm was suddenly tugged upwards, by a bright green vine, keeping him from running away. “But it is quite unfortunate. It has just been decided that there can only be one of us.”

Time slowed as the vines shot towards his face and Yuri closed his eyes.

At that instant, a bright explosion had erupted from the side, blocking the Gardener’s vision of the boy. The restricting plants pushing against both his shoulders suddenly disappeared and Yuri opened his eyes. Everything spun around him as he was suddenly grabbed from the shoulder. When he finally was on the ground again, he found himself leaning against someone’s arm as the smoke and dust dispersed into the air.

“Now I’m more than certain. I had been thinking all this magical potion stuff was strange.”

Yuya?

Yuri turned to see that indeed it was the same boy that he had met today. As if his doppelganger had known what he was thinking, Yuya’s eyes shifted briefly. “I’m glad that you didn’t seem hurt by all those traps earlier. “

The traveller’s eyes hardened to a serious look and faced the Gardener. He had heard of men that were half fused with animals, but this was the first time he had heard of becoming fused with plants. Whatever his reason was, there was no way someone would have good intentions by waving those poisonous-looking vines.

“What’s this? I didn’t realise you had a brother.”

“I’m not his brother, I’m Yuya.” Yuya denied as he let go of Yuri’s shoulder to let the other stand on his own. He raised his hands.

“Ah, but regardless, you’re here as Yuri’s reinforcement, no? To stop me.”

“I only came to check on Yuri. But I now that I heard your words… I… do you even know what’s happening in the street to those children who have and those who don’t have those “gifts” from your medicine?”

There it was again, Yuri noted as Yuya’s expression twisted into a pained look. Even if he hadn’t met him for long, he knew that Yuya was a child that cared too much about others who didn’t even have anything to do with him.

“Ah, it seems you’ve witnessed the unfortunate “survival of those who are strong”. It is nothing but inevitable. I had just provided a choice for all mothers, that they could choose for their own children to be in better situations since not all can. ”

“That’s not true at all!”, Yuya raised his voice, his hand dropped to his sides, now clenched into fists. “I’ve seen that’s not all. Do you think it ends just like that? I’ve seen children upset just because they didn’t have the ability that others do. I’ve also seen others been hurtful, just because they had a luckier family.”

“That’s true. But do not forget, that there are mothers who may be having children with disorders, see what has my medicine has done. It has saved them a lot of grief.”

Yuya almost let out a frustrated cry at how well this man was able to find ways to use words and argue his way. “I said… It doesn’t end there… Actions can speak louder than any of the words you’ve just said. If you’d really cared about the wellbeing of everyone, you’d tell the others. You’d ask, you wouldn’t just spout the “survival of the strongest”.”

Yuya finished, out of breath from the last outburst of words. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow, and he blinked. It was all the moment the Gardener needed before he whipped his vines. They tightened around Yuya’s pale wrist with a snap and the boy yelled out in pain. His body fell to the ground while his other hand clawed that the vines to tear it off but with no avail. He yelled again, feeling a torturous burning feeling seeping through his skin. Though he couldn’t see, a dark purple was beginning to spread from the skin where the vines were seeping in their poison.

The Gardener walked slowly but steadily towards Yuya though the boy could not hear it. He was curious how there would be another copy of the Yuri, but it didn’t seem like he would ever know the answer from this newcomer. Below at his feet, the boy was panting with his eyes screwed shut. No doubt the traveller hadn’t had any training to resist poison. Very soon, he would die.

“You’re forgetting something, aren’t you? A problem with your age, perhaps?”

Yuri’s voice echoed throughout the room. His figure was hidden by the forest of vines and branches at this time. With the poison vines locked around Yuya’s wrist, there was nothing to defend as two vines pierced through his eyes. The vines retracted and he collapsed to the floor with an unearthly scream.

Blood and poison mingled together dripped onto the floor. At that instant, at the very ground he was kneeling up, the Gardener could feel it vibrating. Even though his eyesight had been taken, he could hear the footsteps getting closer.

“It seems like the bottom part of the tower is collapsing.” Yuri spoke, as the flames was beginning to lick and eat away the plants near the door. “I’d better get us both out soon.”

The Gardener let out one last chuckle. “What meaning would it be if your twin leaves? He has already been poisoned, and soon he will die.”

The sounds were muffling around him, as his body finally completely collapsed to the ground. In the black void, the heard Yuri’s voice again, while feeling vines creeping around his hands. ”Oh, I wouldn’t know about that. Those vines of yours can be a good bargaining chip, if it were me I would definitely have the remedy on me.” Yuri mused. He lowered his body to reach his hand into the folds of the pocket of the Gardener’s robes. “Enjoy your trip to the underworld, Gardener. It is my win. ”

A loud roar then drowned out all sounds, the Gardener heard no more.

…

…

Yuya’s senses were severely hindered since his arm was burning. His whole body was beginning to feel feverishly hot, and breathing was hard. He felt hands lifting him up by the upper arms, they didn’t see to belong to him but they were soothingly cool against his arms. There was a great wave of air hitting his face and his stomach dropping, but he couldn’t hear anything more other than loud roaring sounds of fire before his consciousness faded away.

The next moment he could hear sounds again, he was hearing the sound of fire licking wood. Slowly cracking his eyes open, his vision adjusted till he was looking at the tower. Fire had crept up all the way to the top of the tower, and it was aflame like a bright torch. He tried to sit up, and finding himself exhausted of all strength as he was leaning against someone on the ground.

“Oh good, it seemed that liquid in the bottle helped.” Yuri’s voice sounded comforting to his ears, and Yuya tried to strain his neck to look behind him. He didn’t have to try very hard, as Yuri was right behind him, letting Yuya rest the back of his head on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything more as he was watching the sparks of the fire spreading to some of the canopy in the leaves.

Smoke was still coming out from the top. The bottom pillars at the tower had already turned dark as coal. In the back he heard sounds of water rushing, but Yuya was too exhausted and relieved to care that there was a fire high above.

Down below, there was a child looking at the dying fire in the tower with their mother.

“Mother, aren’t there a lot of important plants there… what’ll happen now?”

“It’ll be fine, my child. Plants are able to grow back. The tower will be back to its beautiful look once again soon. Very soon.”

The voices were soon drowned out, as Yuya looked down at his wrist. It was hard to see under the moonlight, but there was a raw red stripe across where the vine had wrapped. Yuri’s hand was holding his arm, just below the red marks, the same cool sensation he had earlier. There was still a dull pain but Yuya finally let out a peaceful sigh of relief, giving Yuri a grateful look. From the eastern horizon, the sun was slowly rising, indicating a new day.

A new day where the Gardener was no more.

…

…

The bus had arrived exactly at 10 sharp in the morning. It had a different plate and a different driver, but from the same place nonetheless. There were many murmurs among the crowd, as they pointed and stared up at the tower in Emporia. About half of the trees were now stripped off their leaves. They were covered in black soot as though dressed for mourning for the loss of their flowers. Some had wondered what had caused the fire and whether the Gardener was found. The door was opened and the murmurs stopped as they began to enter the bus one by one.

Yuya was one of the last in line to enter onto the bus. As he alighted up the steps, he gave a glance at his reflection from the glass.

Though he saw that there were clear eyebags from his lack of sleep, and his white jacket a little singed from the smoke, his face was now. Seeing the face, he remembered about Yuri. Come to think of it, did the violet-haired boy only smile when there was something amusing enough for him to tease? It was a shame, Yuya thought, he would have wanted to talk more with Yuri but the other had left early when he finished washing his injuries.

The traveller walked right up to the driver, holding out the some coins for a one-way ticket. The man behind the wheel looked at him for a moment, and peered behind, then back at the sum of money.

“Isn’t your brother also coming with you as well?”

Yuya turned his head. Right behind him, Yuri had just stepped into the bus.

It would have been an understatement to say it was a pleasant surprise for Yuya as the two boys got to the back of the bus. Yuya insisted that his new travelling companion would take the window seat, where he could see a lot of the desert and an oasis that they would pass by.

“I didn’t know you were going to travel. Why?” Yuya asked.

“Well, I have no more reason to stay there now. Reconstruction of the city isn’t exactly how I want to spend my next few years. It wasn’t my doing, after all.” Yuri laughed, giving one last look at the tower. “This may sound rather childish, but I had been having this thought when he had first came: I wanted to prove the Gardener wrong. It looked fun, just to see these brats’ faces when they realize that they accomplished nothing, and that no matter how much medicine their families had it wouldn’t change.”

Yuya didn’t nod, but only give an uncomfortable smile. Yuri did seem to have a sadistic and dark humour. He’d have to keep that in mind in the future.

“Well… I do agree with some of that. Being given a gift doesn’t mean that you’ve actually made any achievement if you don’t use it properly. Or you don’t work hard enough.”

Yuri gave a hum of approval. From the back of his mind he remembered about the only time he had ever lost. Strangely enough, his mind was feeling rather fuzzy from he warm air, that he couldn’t even remember what competition or game it was. Just that he remembered the bitter but respectful feeling as vivid as the boy who was sitting next to him.

“And you, Yuya? You seem to be rather happy that the Gardener is gone. You care quite a lot about Emporia even though you haven’t even stayed here for a day.”

The other boy shook his head, holding up his wrist. There was a small flower wreath covering the raw red parts where the poison was before. “No, I’m just happy that I got to do what I needed before I left. I managed to see those two kids at the market again, and I got to say what I wanted.”

“Oh?” Yuri’s eyebrows were raised in curiosity. “Mind if I know what you said?” 

“Just similar to what we were talking about, you know. About how, you can’t decide or choose how you’re born, but you can decide how you want to live.” At that moment, Yuya covered his mouth with a yawn before finishing off, “At the end of the day, all that’s important is that you can smile.”

Perhaps it was because exhaustion was finally catching him, he didn’t seem to have much of a reservation as his body lightly fell against Yuri’s. The previous citizen from Emporia turned for a moment, only seeing a mop of green and red hair. He could feel Yuya’s movements growing more sluggish.

“I forgot to ask.” Yuya yawned again, his eyes drooping even though Yuri could not see it. “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere in particular right now, since I just want to leave.” Yuri said, looking at the endless scene of the desert roll past. He lifted his arm, unconsciously patting Yuya on the head and running his fingers through his hair.  “So, I’ll get off where you get off, and travel with you for a while.”

 _Until when our paths might divert, I suppose,_ he kept these words to himself.

“Alright. “ Yuya’s voice trailed off, mumbling something incoherent about waking up at the next city. He pressed his cheek against Yuri’s shoulder, adjusting so that both boys would be comfortable for the next half of the day. His eyes were shut and the soft hum of the steam engines beckoned him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this count as rottenshipping? I don't know... but I wouldn't mind more moments of Yuri and Yuya interacting (in Anime/Manga/fanfiction). 
> 
> Let me know what you think, whether it's about the story, or character portrayal. Or what do you think the ability of "customizing your own child"? (Please note that this story doesn't indicate my opinion of it). There is one detail I didn't really specify in the story, about the part about the two children in the market. It's a very slight reference to stories I've read where families have a preference for gender.


	3. [Apologies]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter. Please read below.

Hello all. Hope you all had enjoyed the last episodes of Arc-V yesterday?

This is just a note to say that I am dropping this for now. Originally, I only started writing this because I wanted to look for friends in the Arc-V fandom, and also wanting to make something where Yuya and his counterparts got along. Apologies, after I only released one proper chapter and after the comments as well. 

 

My main reasons for discontinuing: 

1\. Unfortunately, there's a lot of schoolwork and other things piling up. On top of that, I will be practising drawing Yugioh fanart on Tumblr.  I'm generally more invested in doing art than writing...

2\. After getting some feedback and checking over everything myself, I felt that my writing really needs to improve first. I have tried my best to edit before uploading but I suppose things still go over my head. And I've mentioned before I'm really not confident in my English. Ideally I would prefer to have someone to be able to read and give me feedback before formally uploading it but I haven't looked nor found anyone with that time. 

 

Options I might take from here on:

  * The core themes and the ending for the story had been planned out since the beginning, so when I have the time I'll rewrite it. I can't predict when I can finish though.  
  * Depending on whether I'm able to brush it up better with someone helping me proofread, I'll consider uploading the new version. If that does happen, would you guys prefer if I uploaded it all at once? (I've added some very subtle but weird details that won't make sense until a few chapters later, and by that time I worry readers would already forget...) 
  * In the worst case scenario where I decide to permanently drop this, I'll probably remove it. 



 

Let me know if you have other comments or suggestions on what I can do better next time. I'm always up for a chat on tumblr, though I might respond a bit slow at times I try to check my messages every few days. 

Thanks again for the support thus far, and I hope you'll all get to read a lot more good fanfiction by the many writers around here. 


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